Math toolkits are very important because they provide the tools for students to scaffold their thinking. There are two parts of a math toolkit. Part I is the part with all the physical tools and Part II is the part with all the blackline masters and writing templates. What goes in the toolkit depends on the grade level. At the beginning of the year, the toolkits should have tools that students are familiar with from prior grades and as the year progresses, you add new tools.

There are many ways to house the toolkits. Some teachers use big baggies, others use boxes, others use actual toolboxes. You have to pick what works for you. Some teachers just have a bunch of them in a specific place in the classroom, other teachers have them at the student tables (there should be enough for each student), while other teachers give each individual student a toolkit. Do what works for you. But at any given moment, every student should have access to the tools they need to scaffold their thinking.

Remember that your classroom environment is part of your toolkit. You should have big things- life-sized (ten frames, number lines, fraction strips etc) for students to see and use as they think outloud during public discussions. You should also have a variety of virtual tools that you are using during your whole group instruction and guided math groups.

During the next few days, I will post more specifically about grade level toolkits.

I saw this “How can I chart” on Pinterest. I like the structure. I think it would be great to make a series of math anchor charts about “How can I…” such as “How can I add two digit numbers?” “How can I multiply a fraction by a whole number?” “How can I add single digit numbers quickly?”

Then, the chart lists several different ways to do it…going through the cycle of engagement: concrete ways, pictorial ways and abstract ways.

Then, you should definitely take pictures of these charts and have the students put the copies in their thinking notebooks or store the charts somewhere where they are accessible…or put them in a photo album that is labeled so students can use it as a reference when needed….or have the students copy the charts into their thinking notebooks…

The big point here is that charts should be a tool that is used throughout the year, not just for a moment!

Here is a very interesting guided math video. Look at the student desks and the guided math group table! Wow! These are really great! I haven’t seen these before.

Also, notice the variety of ways this teacher uses technology. You don’t have to use the programs he names, there are plenty of free programs. The idea of using technology for math workshop in all of these different ways is fascinating and shows how engaged and targeted digital workstation practice can be.

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea”

“If you want to teach children to love math, don’t drill them to death with decontextualized skills, don’t give them hundreds of point less word problems, but rather give them interesting projects where they need to use math.”

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